How have the Reds fared in past All-Star seasons?

JULY 14, 1988: Joe Dapkins, Riverfront Stadium ground crew chief, removes the All-Star logo form the artificial turf. The Enquirer/Steve Perez scanned September 11, 2012 FROM A THURSDAY JULY 14, The last batter was out, the score in the record books and decorations already coming down at Riverfront Stadium. But Jim Valenti wasn't ready to go home just yet. The 16-year-old form Milwaukee squeezed through dozens of All-Starstruck fans outside the Hyatt Hotel Wednesday, 7/13/88, trying to catch one last glimpse of baseball's best, get one more crack at an autograph. Ducking around the throngs to get....(Photo: THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER)Buy Photo

The All-Star Game returns to Cincinnati for the first time since 1988, and the city is treating the game with the gravitas expected of a once-in-a-generation event.

Yet, there is a Reds season to be played. And if history is any indication, it will fare well.

In 85 years of existence, the team that hosted the Midsummer Classic has reached the postseason on 21 occasions. That ratio in itself is cause for optimism. Factor in that the League Championship Series didn't begin until the 1969 campaign, as well as following playoff-field expansions in 1995 and 2012, and the odds become relatively favorable for the hometown club.

Alas, that postseason entry does not translate to a ring, as only two of these franchises – the New York Yankees (1939, 1977) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1959) – have won the World Series.

It should be noted that the Dodgers' appearance comes with an asterisk; for a brief run, Major League Baseball hosted two All-Star Games per season. The second contest was so universally panned that it was canceled after just four years.

For the Reds specifically, the results have been auspicious from their four previous All-Star galas:

1938: 82-68 record­ – Technically, the Reds finished fourth in the eight-team National League. However, the Reds were in the World Series hunt until a so-so September (12-12 record) submarined their chances. Moreover, the '38 campaign was a major turnover for the franchise, as the Reds had won a mere 56 games the previous season.

This year laid the groundwork for a successful run for the Reds, as the club went to the World Series the next two seasons, winning the Fall Classic in 1940.

Fun facts: This was the season that Johnny Vander Meer pitched his way into baseball lore with back-to-back no-hitters; first basemen Frank McCormick drove in 106 runs in 1938 despite hitting only five homers. If that ever happens again, drinks are on me; five Reds (Vander Meer, McCormick, Ernie Lombardi, Ival Goodman and Paul Derringer) were represented in the All-Star game.

1953: 68-86 record– This was the lone misfire. Cincinnati was near the bottom of the Senior Circuit, finishing a whopping 37 games back from the pennant-winning Dodgers. Rogers Hornsby, one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, helmed the Reds, but was dismissed near the end of the season.

Fun facts: The team briefly changed their name to the "Redlegs." This was during the height of the anti-communist/McCarthyism period in American history, and the team didn't want to affiliate itself with the connotation "Reds" held at the time; three players Gus Bell, Ted Kluszewski, Jim Greengrass – posted 100 or more RBI; Bell and Kluszewski were the Reds' All-Stars.

1970: 102-60 record – This season holds prominence in Reds history, as:

- It was the final year of Crosley Field, with the team playing its final game on June 24. A week later, the Reds opened Riverfront Stadium as their new friendly confines.

- It was Sparky Anderson's first year as manager

- Johnny Bench led the league with 45 homers and 148 RBI on his way to winning MVP honors.

- Cincinnati won the West division by 14 ½ games and swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in the League Championship Series

Unfortunately, the Reds fell to the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series in five games. But the tone was set for a decade of excellence.

Fun facts: This was the All-Star Game that featured the famous Ray Fosse - Pete Rose collision at home plate; the first homer in Riverfront Stadium was by Hank Aaron. Hammerin' Hank would end up tying Babe Ruth's all-time home run record at Riverfront in 1974; Bench, Jim Merritt, Tony Perez, Pete Rose, and Wayne Simpson were named to the All-Star team.

1988: 87-74 record – That mark was good for second in the division and third overall in the National League. Sadly, this was before the advent of the Wild Card, meaning the Reds were watching from home in October for the ninth straight season.

Fun facts: Tom Browning pitched his perfect game on September 16th; Danny Jackson won 20 games, and would be the last Reds pitcher to accomplish this feat until Johnny Cueto matched the number in 2014; Jackson, Barry Larkin and Chris Sabo were named All-Stars.

The St. Louis Cardinals persist as top dog in the NL Central, the Chicago Cubs have become the team of the future and the Pittsburgh Pirates remain a formidable club.

But if history repeats itself, the 2015 season should be a prosperous one for the Reds.